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Mallory #2
No Cure for Death
Mallory investigates a mysterious case in his own small Iowa town after a suspicious automobile accident claims the life of a young woman he met in a bus station
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1983
81 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Max Allan Collins
812 books1,327 followersReceived the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 5, 2016
Another early book in the writing career of Max Allan Collins, written first chronologically, but published second in the Mallory series.
It's a quick read, and generally pretty good, but as I said, it's early in the author's career, and while there are glimpses of greatness, the writing is somewhat adolescent. Not bad, but growing.
It's a quick read, and generally pretty good, but as I said, it's early in the author's career, and while there are glimpses of greatness, the writing is somewhat adolescent. Not bad, but growing.
February 23, 2022
One of Collins first novels. Has the makings of his later work. A fast, compelling read. Gets the mileau : early 70s, Quad cites. Works a historical person into the narrative under an assumed name. Will definitely read all of the Mallory books
March 2, 2021
A terrific little mystery. This one had great character development, but the first appearance did not always tell the true story. This was the first of the Mallory series written, but it was held back and released after "The Baby Blue Ripoff". I like to read a series in order, but did not realize this fact until I began this book. It turned out to be ok. I enjoyed this mystery and will continue to read the other 3 books in this series.
February 9, 2013
No Cure for Death is one of Collins' earlier novels, and it shows. While the building blocks of his future strengths are in place, they are in nascent form here and the evidence of Collins being younger and less experienced is on display.
That said, it's still an entertaining story that plays pleasantly against stereotypes in the mystery genre, especially those present at the time it was written.
That said, it's still an entertaining story that plays pleasantly against stereotypes in the mystery genre, especially those present at the time it was written.
June 15, 2017
Collins' Mallory series is not as well known. He started writing this series in writer's workshops in 1969 and finally published it in the early 80's. Mallory is a college-age mystery writer in Iowa as the Vietnam
War is winding down. There are five Mallory novels, including The Baby
Blue Rip-Off (1983), No Cure for Death (1983), Kill Your Darlings 1984), A Shroud for Aquarius (1985), and Nice Weekend for a Murder 1986).
In this volume. Mallory is at the bus station in Port City, Iowa, to meet a friend John on leave from military service in Southeast Asia. Mallory has been trying to strike up conversation with a blonde for about an
hour when a man the size of Frankenstein threatens her. After an epic battle, he rescues the fair damsel and buys her a cup of coffee. Janet Taber tells him her life story. A few hours later, Mallory meets John's father, the sheriff, at an accident site and realizes the mangled blonde woman is the same one whose acquaintance he just made. Strange coincidence or perhaps someone wanted her dead and got her good and dead. The sheriff tells Mallory to butt out.
He chases down leads and, in addition to meeting a woman who makes his jaw drop, finds that Janet was somehow tied into the
wealthy family that runs the political life in the area. As Mallory scratches his head, the bodies and the suspects add up.
An enjoyable mystery well worth reading. Collins has a real easy writing style that draws the reader in.
War is winding down. There are five Mallory novels, including The Baby
Blue Rip-Off (1983), No Cure for Death (1983), Kill Your Darlings 1984), A Shroud for Aquarius (1985), and Nice Weekend for a Murder 1986).
In this volume. Mallory is at the bus station in Port City, Iowa, to meet a friend John on leave from military service in Southeast Asia. Mallory has been trying to strike up conversation with a blonde for about an
hour when a man the size of Frankenstein threatens her. After an epic battle, he rescues the fair damsel and buys her a cup of coffee. Janet Taber tells him her life story. A few hours later, Mallory meets John's father, the sheriff, at an accident site and realizes the mangled blonde woman is the same one whose acquaintance he just made. Strange coincidence or perhaps someone wanted her dead and got her good and dead. The sheriff tells Mallory to butt out.
He chases down leads and, in addition to meeting a woman who makes his jaw drop, finds that Janet was somehow tied into the
wealthy family that runs the political life in the area. As Mallory scratches his head, the bodies and the suspects add up.
An enjoyable mystery well worth reading. Collins has a real easy writing style that draws the reader in.
May 17, 2017
Pretty good. Especially for a very early novel by Collins, one of the more prolific thriller/suspense/crime writers. You can see his potential in this one. Nice also to have a pretty straightforward plot after all the convolutions I've been reading lately!
January 22, 2025
Definitely an early effort.
March 20, 2011
Second in the Mallory series, chronologically it comes before THE BIG BLUE RIP-OFF. In reading this, it seems, and I'm speculating here, that it was written first then put aside, later to be published after the first one. Mallory's background is essentially the same, though there are a few slight differences.
It's 1974 and Mallory is at the bus station waiting for his best friend, and the Sheriff's stepson, John, fresh from Viet Nam, to arrive. A young blond woman sat on the bench beside him and he'd been working up the nerve to talk to her.
Before that can happen, a black man walks in and looks around. The biggest black man he'd ever seen and dressed in a nice conservative suit. The only thing that marred his completely bald head was the nasty scar running through one empty eye socket. When he spots Mallory and the woman he stalks toward them. Mallory's never seen him before and from the look in the young woman's face, neither has she.
It's her he stops in front of though, uttering the word bitch once twice, then grabbing her coat with a massive fist to haul her up.
That's when Mallory hits him in the throat, causing the man to do three thing. Release the woman, touch his throat lightly, and knock Mallory back into a Pepsi machine with one, ham-like arm! He's headed toward Mallory to finish him off when Mallory reaches behind, finds an empty glass Pepsi bottle, and slams him across the head. It drives the man to his knees, half out, long enough for Mallory to get to a pay phone and call the Sheriff. The big fellow lights out for the door.
The young woman is Janet Tabor and she tells Mallory a harrowing story.
She's headed for a hospital in the next town where her mother is dying, severely burned, though doctors had told her there was evidence she'd been savagely beaten before the fire. Her mother had been helping her with her sick son, just recently getting together after several years absence. He needed operations and her mother had arranged with someone here in town to pay for them. Wouldn't say who though.
He gets her on her bus, meets John on the next bus, and heads back to his trailer where the pair catch up and knock back a few beers.
When the Sheriff calls and says they might as well make a night of it as he has a fatal car accident to investigate out on Colorado Hill Highway. the pair decide to ride out and see if they can help.
The car had run off a cliff and rolled several times, but not burned. When he gets down to it, John can smell alcohol and is shocked when he sees the driver. crushed in the wreckage: it's Janet Tabor, the young woman he'd put on a bus a couple of hours before.
The Sheriff is ready to rule it an accident, but John is not satisfied. Especially when John's sister, who knew Janet Tabor five years back when they worked on the same state Senator's campaign for national office tells him the man lost, but tried again a few years later and was leading polls when he, his wife, and daughter were killed in a car accident on the very same spot Janet Tabor went over.
Coincidence, the Sheriff said. Mallory didn't buy it and even more so when the autopsy says there was no alcohol in her system, as well as a broken neck with bruising around the throat. Something is going on and he intends to find the black giant with one eye, the logical suspect.
His investigation uncovers some nasty things hidden for years.
It's 1974 and Mallory is at the bus station waiting for his best friend, and the Sheriff's stepson, John, fresh from Viet Nam, to arrive. A young blond woman sat on the bench beside him and he'd been working up the nerve to talk to her.
Before that can happen, a black man walks in and looks around. The biggest black man he'd ever seen and dressed in a nice conservative suit. The only thing that marred his completely bald head was the nasty scar running through one empty eye socket. When he spots Mallory and the woman he stalks toward them. Mallory's never seen him before and from the look in the young woman's face, neither has she.
It's her he stops in front of though, uttering the word bitch once twice, then grabbing her coat with a massive fist to haul her up.
That's when Mallory hits him in the throat, causing the man to do three thing. Release the woman, touch his throat lightly, and knock Mallory back into a Pepsi machine with one, ham-like arm! He's headed toward Mallory to finish him off when Mallory reaches behind, finds an empty glass Pepsi bottle, and slams him across the head. It drives the man to his knees, half out, long enough for Mallory to get to a pay phone and call the Sheriff. The big fellow lights out for the door.
The young woman is Janet Tabor and she tells Mallory a harrowing story.
She's headed for a hospital in the next town where her mother is dying, severely burned, though doctors had told her there was evidence she'd been savagely beaten before the fire. Her mother had been helping her with her sick son, just recently getting together after several years absence. He needed operations and her mother had arranged with someone here in town to pay for them. Wouldn't say who though.
He gets her on her bus, meets John on the next bus, and heads back to his trailer where the pair catch up and knock back a few beers.
When the Sheriff calls and says they might as well make a night of it as he has a fatal car accident to investigate out on Colorado Hill Highway. the pair decide to ride out and see if they can help.
The car had run off a cliff and rolled several times, but not burned. When he gets down to it, John can smell alcohol and is shocked when he sees the driver. crushed in the wreckage: it's Janet Tabor, the young woman he'd put on a bus a couple of hours before.
The Sheriff is ready to rule it an accident, but John is not satisfied. Especially when John's sister, who knew Janet Tabor five years back when they worked on the same state Senator's campaign for national office tells him the man lost, but tried again a few years later and was leading polls when he, his wife, and daughter were killed in a car accident on the very same spot Janet Tabor went over.
Coincidence, the Sheriff said. Mallory didn't buy it and even more so when the autopsy says there was no alcohol in her system, as well as a broken neck with bruising around the throat. Something is going on and he intends to find the black giant with one eye, the logical suspect.
His investigation uncovers some nasty things hidden for years.
July 15, 2013
I enjoyed this book for several reasons. In part because it’s set in the 70’s, an era that feels like the biggest part of my life. The style is that of an old fashioned detective story, as though the narrator is looking back on events some time after they occurred. The protagonist is a private eye turned mystery writer, who gets pulled into a real-life mystery when he tries to protect a young woman who is attacked in a bus stop. I look forward to reading more in this series.
June 3, 2013
Though No Cure for Death is #2 in the Mallory series, it actually pre-dates The Baby Blue Rip-Off, which is number one in the series. That can cause a bit of confusion at first, but it's not a real problem. The writing isn't quite as sharp as Max Allan Collins' later work, but it's still an enjoyable, fast read. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
October 23, 2014
Another quick, fun mystery read from Collins. Certainly not as good as the Quarry books, but worth reading for Collins' fans. Our hero is a good guy who finds himself in a tangled web of murder & cover ups. There is a theme of racial equality that is a bit heavy handed, but not terrible.
February 25, 2019
More good things for Mallory
March 23, 2013
I actually enjoyed this one...not a masterpiece by any means, but engaging and well written just the same. One of Collins very first works.
May 27, 2013
I needed to read a light, quick book after the last few! This met the need perfectly!
November 20, 2015
Better than the Baby Blue Rip-Off
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews